Blame It On The Alcohol
by NiffKlaineJohnlock
Summary: Nick screws up big time, but it leads to something really special.
1. Chapter 1

Nick stumbled up the stairs to his dorm room. He yelped slightly when his knee knocked into the edge of the stair above him. "Shit." He whispered loudly. He sat down on the step and checked his knee, making sure there wasn't blood before carrying on up the stairs. He stumbled a few more times before reaching his door. Right when he reached for the doorknob, the door opened and a hand reached for his tie, pulling him into the room. He tripped over his own feet, but felt two hands catch him before he hit the ground.

"What the hell, Nick? I've been waiting up for hours for you to get your ass home! You said you'd be home at midnight. That was three hours ago!" Jeff was breathing heavy and his face was red with anger. Nick sat on the edge of his bed, taking his tie and jacket off. He was really trying to form words in his head, but anything with more than one syllable just wasn't going to happen right now. Jeff took a deep breath and sat next to him. "Next time, at least have the courtesy to tell me not to wait up." He moved over to his bed and Nick sighed.

"I'm sorry, Jeffy." Jeff snorted and rolled so that he was facing the wall. Nick suddenly felt the room spinning and started to cry silently. He laid down in his bed and closed his eyes, hoping he could just fall asleep and wake up to everything being perfect again.

He woke up to hear Jeff taking a shower, singing loudly. He smiled a little and sat up. He fell back down as soon as his head started to pound. He moaned quietly. The water shut off in the bathroom and Jeff came out to get dressed.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were awake." Jeff wouldn't look him in the eye and he sounded mad. Nick couldn't really blame him, but he didn't know how to make anything better with his best friend. Nick sat up and tried to think of some way to apologize.

"I'm so sorry about last night, or this morning, I guess. I shouldn't have gone out to begin with, but I really should have let you know I'd be home late. I wasn't thinking." Nick took a deep breath, hoping this would at least open up a conversation between them.

"Clearly." Jeff grabbed his clothes and went back in the bathroom. Nick sighed and got up to get ready for his day. The Warblers had a performance at a theme park after lunch and had rehearsals all morning to prepare. Nick didn't even want to perform today, but Warblers never missed performances unless they were on their death bed. He got his art notebook and put it in his bag. He hoped no one would notice him sneaking off after the performance to draw.

Jeff walked out of the bathroom, grabbed his bag, and walked out of the door. He never even looked at Nick. Wes and David walked in shortly after Jeff left. They saw Nick sitting on his bed zoning out and looked at each other.

"Nick? Buddy? What's going on?" Wes kneeled in front of Nick and touched his knee briefly to snap him out of his zone.

"Nothing. Can we just go?" Nick stood up and left the room, not waiting for an answer. Wes and David looked at each other again and followed Nick out of the door.

When Nick entered the practice room, Jeff was sitting alone on the couch in the corner, listening to his iPod. He was looking out the window frowning, not even noticing when Nick walked in with Wes and David following quietly behind him. He didn't feel like talking to anyone but Jeff, and Jeff refused to even look at him. He felt tears spring to his eyes, but he took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and sat down next to Jeff. He didn't even turn to see who it was.

Wes started practice with the solo that Blaine had, eventually moving on to the duet that Blaine and Kurt had, and finally the group number. Jeff stood up and got in the starting formation, which was right next to Nick. They practiced the number a few times, Jeff never smiling more than was required to keep Wes happy. They broke for lunch, Wes reminding them to meet back in the practice room at one to leave for the amusement park. Everyone left except for Jeff, so he stayed.

Jeff didn't seem to notice that there was anyone else left in the room until Nick sat down on the bench next to him. Jeff sighed and turned to look at Nick.

"What do you want?" He didn't say it loud, but there was certainly plenty of disgust in his tone that Nick actually shrunk away. Worry flashed through Jeff's eyes for a moment and Nick tried to act like nothing was wrong.

"I just want to know how to make this right Jeffy." Jeff smiled slightly at the pet name and Nick grinned. That was certainly a step in the right direction. They were both silent for a minute until Jeff looked up at him.

"I was so worried about you Nicky. I tried calling and texting you for like two hours. I kept thinking something had happened to you and I couldn't have lived with myself if I had let anything happen to you." Jeff let his head fall, staring at his feet. Nick saw a tear fall down his cheek.

"Hey, don't cry. I am so sorry. You don't know how sorry I am, Jeff. I should have at least called or something. I was so stupid. I know it's no excuse, but I was so drunk. I probably wouldn't have been able to dial a phone. I don't even remember how I got home last night, honestly. I'm just so sorry." Nick looked down, feeling more ashamed now than he could ever remember in his life.

Jeff reached over and touched Nick's face. Nick looked up quickly, shocked at the intimacy in the touch. Jeff took a deep breath and Nick could feel him shaking with nerves.

"I forgive you." He paused, breaking eye contact for a moment. He looked back to Nick and smiled. "I need to tell you something and I really need you to just listen and not say anything until I'm done." Nick just nodded, waiting for him to continue. He suddenly felt really nervous, and he felt a blush where Jeff's hand had been just a moment ago.

"I was worried, as any best friend would be, but if I were to be honest, I was worried because I think I might be in love with you." He paused when Nick's eyes widened. "I know you're not gay, and I know you can't return the feelings, but I needed you to know. It's not fair to keep it from you. I've felt this way for a long.." Jeff was cut off by Nick's lips against his. All thoughts were wiped from his brain except for how wonderful it felt to finally be kissing the boy he was pretty sure he loved.

After a minute or so, they broke apart. Nick squeezed Jeff's hand and smiled. "I think it's possible I'm completely in love with you too." They pressed their foreheads together, closing their eyes to capture the moment.

They eventually got up when they heard people start to come in the practice room again, but they continued to hold hands. Nick rubbed his thumb over the back of Jeff's hand. He smiled up at Nick and tried to pay attention to Wes, who kept glancing their way and smirking.

When they boarded the bus to leave, Nick pulled Jeff close to him and Jeff put his head on his shoulder. "You can sleep if you want. You didn't sleep last night." Jeff looked up.

"How do you know I didn't sleep at all?" Jeff yawned and Nick smiled sadly.

"You were worried. When you worry, you don't sleep. Just because I passed out, doesn't mean I don't know you better than you know yourself." He gently brushed Jeff's bangs back and kissed his forehead. "Just take a nap. I'll wake you when we get close." Jeff put his head back on Nick's shoulder and almost immediately fell asleep.

"Jeff. Jeffy. We're here." Jeff felt Nick gently rubbing his arm. He opened his eyes and yawned. He heard Nick laugh a little and he looked up.

"What?" He yawned again.

"You're just really cute. You also really need to wake up before Wes sees that I let you nap before a performance. I'll help you warm up again, but we'll need to do it somewhere he won't see." Jeff smiled and kissed Nick.

"Okay. Thanks for letting me take a nap."

"Thanks for being so worried about me that you actually need one." Nick looked sad for a minute, but Jeff touched his face.

"Stop. I forgave you. It's in the past. Let's just have some fun today, okay?" Nick smiled at Jeff's words.

"Sounds good to me."

They got up and headed straight for the closest bathroom to warm up their voices where Wes couldn't see. Nick serenaded Jeff, making him blush and giggle. They headed out to where the rest of the Warblers were waiting impatiently. Kurt was rambling on about something to do with what a woman next to them was wearing and Blaine was staring at him lovingly, probably not even hearing what he was saying. Wes was freaking out, straightening ties, demanding to hear scales, and pacing behind the stage.

Of course there was no need to worry. Everything went perfectly. The crowd loved them and the entertainment manager for the park asked them if they would be interested in doing one Saturday a month. Wes agreed to talk with the headmaster of Dalton to set something up. They all got back on the bus quickly, Jeff immediately snuggling up to Nick, even more exhausted than before the performance. They got on the road and Nick heard a snore come from his shoulder. He looked down and smiled. He couldn't believe this beautiful boy was somehow his, especially after everything he had put him through. He leaned his head down on top of Jeff's and started to drift off.


	2. Chapter 2

Nick was woken up by Wes, who was arguing with David right in front of his seat. He pulled Jeff closer when he started to wake up, hoping that he would go back to a deep sleep, but there was no hope for that. Jeff sat up quickly and looked at Nick with a frown.

"Will you two shut the hell up? I was having a wonderful dream. Argue later." With that, Jeff put his head back on Nick's shoulder and closed his eyes. Nick laughed at the shocked faces on Wes and David and mouthed sorry to them. Jeff whispered to him after they turned around again. "Thank God. I thought I was going to have to make them get off the bus." Jeff smirked and spread out as much as he could, laying his head in Nick's lap. Nick looked down at him fondly.

"Go back to sleep, Jeffy." Nick brushed the hair out of his face and leaned down to plant a kiss on his forehead. Jeff closed his eyes again and Nick felt his body relax.

Nick had felt awful about last night, especially after seeing how exhausted Jeff truly was. He traced the dark circles under his eyes gently and Jeff sighed in his sleep, turning his head to Nick. He couldn't help but smile widely. He hadn't realized he was gay until he met Jeff. It was still odd to him how one boy could change his life so completely. When they first met, Jeff had a boyfriend, and Nick found himself extremely jealous, but didn't know why. A few weeks into their friendship, Jeff came home late crying and Nick stayed up holding him the whole night, even after he fell asleep. That was the first time Nick thought he may have fallen for the boy. He looked down at the boy in his lap again. He noticed that Jeff had gripped his shirt tightly and there was a crease in his forehead. Nick grabbed his hand and gently moved it from his shirt, laying both of their hands on Jeff's chest. The crease disappeared and Nick sighed. He knew Jeff was having trouble sleeping, so he gently rubbed his thumb over the back of his hand like he did earlier that day. Jeff seemed to relax even more at the touch.

Before long, they arrived at Dalton and Nick found himself unable to wake up Jeff. He wanted him to make up for losing so much sleep so he asked Wes to grab his bag and he would meet him in his room. Nick picked Jeff up, surprised by the light weight, and slowly moved off the bus and up to the dorm room. Jeff snuggled into his chest, groaning a little at being moved.

"Shhhh. It's okay. I've got you." Nick whispered to Jeff while walking into his room. He set Jeff in his bed, going over to Wes, who was sitting on the edge of Nick's bed.

"Your bag's on the desk. I have to go home for the rest of the weekend. I see you two have finally realized what we all realized months ago." Wes stood up and smirked at Nick. "Good job, dude." Wes left the room and Nick scooted against his headboard, looking over at Jeff, who was hugging his pillow tightly. He saw that the crease was back and that he was making small noises in his sleep. Nick went to the bathroom and then joined Jeff in his bed, replacing the pillow happily.

"Nick." For a moment, Nick thought Jeff had woken up, but he was very much still asleep, so hearing his name made him jump a little. Nick pulled him closer and kissed the top of his head, hoping it would calm him down enough to actually rest. Nick knew from sharing a room with him for the past five months that when Jeff had nightmares, he had the worst nightmares. He often went days without sleep because he was so afraid of them coming. Nick started to mindlessly play with his hair, thinking about the first time he had seen Jeff.

_Nick had been concentrating on his homework. Trigonometry was his hardest class and therefore took up most of his weekday afternoons. Someone opened the door, but he didn't look up._

_ "Wes, did you have any trouble with question 34 on the Trig homework?" He started to erase all of his work after arriving at the incorrect answer._

_ "I'm not Wes, but Trig happens to be my best subject. Need some help?" Nick jumped at the unknown voice and turned to see a short, blonde boy standing in the doorway, smirking._

_ "I'm Nick. Uh, who are you?" Nick shook the boy's hand, blushing profusely for some reason._

_ "Jeff. I'm your new roommate. Want some help?" Jeff walked into the room and over to the desk. "Oh this is easy. Here, you just add that to both sides of the equation and then divide by the numerator of that part of the equation. See?" Jeff wrote out the steps and Nick stared disbelievingly._

_ "How do you know that?" Jeff looked up at the tall brunette. He really was quite attractive. What was he thinking? He had a boyfriend._

_ "I took Trig last year at my old school. I was in the honors program. I'd be willing to help you with that if you can help me with French." _

_ "Deal." They shook on it and smiled. This would be the beginning of a great friendship; Nick could tell already._

Nick felt Jeff stir below him, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked down and saw Jeff crying. "Jeff? What's wrong?" Nick lifted his head with his fingers to see Jeff's red face and tears streaming down his face.

"You have to promise me you won't drink anymore, especially if you don't have someone to get you home safely." Jeff pulled Nick closer to him and sobbed into his chest. Nick rubbed Jeff's back and felt tears come to his eyes.

"Shhh. It's okay baby. I promise I won't go out to drink anymore. You're fine. It was just a bad dream." He kept rubbing his back until Jeff calmed down. Jeff sighed and Nick kissed his forehead. "I love you."

He hadn't meant to say it. He didn't want Jeff to freak out. He knew it was true though. Jeff grinned from ear to ear and pulled Nick down to his level to kiss him. He pulled away a few moments later.

"I love you too. Thank you." Jeff blushed. Nick touched his face, working his hand to the back of his head and curling his fingers in his hair.

"I should be thanking you." Nick kissed Jeff passionately for a few minutes until there was a knock at the door. They pulled apart slowly, both smiling and feeling happier than they could ever remember.

An hour later, Nick, Jeff, and David were sitting on the floor playing Monopoloy and joking around.

"So, boys, when's the wedding?" Nick and Jeff both looked down, blushing, and David started to laugh. "Well, you've been as close as possible since I got here, and I assume that you're looking at each other like that because you finally realized you're in love." David laughed again.

"Fine, David. If you must know, we have realized this." Jeff looked over to Nick and squeezed his hand. David made a gagging noise.

"Would you two like to be alone or would you like to continue to make me sick?" David made a disgusted face and Nick and Jeff laughed loudly.

"You're always welcome to actually stay in your room. We know you miss Wes when he's gone, but there's no need to bother us." David stuck out his tongue. "Mature, David."

David stood up and bowed. "It was a pleasure playing out our future with you gentlemen. Have a wonderful evening." He walked out of the room, Nick and Jeff laughing at him as he went. The door shut, leaving them alone for the rest of the night.

They cleaned up the board, grabbed sodas from the mini fridge, and sat on the bed.

"So what do we do now?" Jeff tapped his hand against his leg.

"Anything you'd like. We've got the whole night." Nick leaned over and kissed Jeff's cheek, but Jeff caught him and pulled him on top of him.

"Can we stay like this?" Jeff started to kiss Nick deeply and Nick couldn't help but kiss back. They stayed like that for most of the night, eventually drifting off. They both had huge smiles on their faces, and they clung to each other all night long.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeff rolled over in his bed, only to have sunlight beat on his face. He scrunched his eyes closed as tightly as possible to block out the brightness. He yawned, then turned his head. He almost jumped straight out of bed when he saw Nick facing him, peacefully sleeping with a smile on his face. Suddenly, the memories of the day before rushed through his head and he smiled a huge smile. He had been so afraid to admit his feelings, knowing Nick wasn't gay. When he admitted his feelings the day before, he had felt nauseous and he knew his whole face was red, but Nick listened without interrupting or walking away, which gave Jeff the courage to say everything he needed to.

Nick moaned a little in his sleep and pulled Jeff close to him, making Jeff laugh quietly. He gently ran his fingers up and down Nick's chest, noticing the small smile on his face while he slept.

"That feels wonderful." Jeff jumped when he heard Nick's voice, stopping his fingers quickly. "That doesn't mean stop." Jeff felt Nick's hand on his arm and smiled up at him. He let his fingers continue their movements and kissed Nick's chest, which he noticed was quite warm. He cuddled closer, hoping it would help him stay warm. He really didn't want to get out of bed. He wanted to stay there with Nick all day long.

"Can we just stay like this all day?" Nick looked down at Jeff when he spoke, brushing the bangs out of his eyes. He smiled fondly and kissed Jeff's forehead. Jeff heard him sigh, and when he opened his eyes to see why he did, he saw Nick frowning. "What's wrong?"

Nick sat up, pulling Jeff with him, somehow managing to hug him closer to his side in the process. "I have to go home today. It's my mom's birthday and my dad is basically forcing me to come home." Nick rested his head back against the headboard of the bed. Jeff leant up, kissed his neck, his jaw, and finally his cheek, which made him smile.

"That's alright. I mean, you'll be back tonight. I can just finish up some homework and clean, maybe have Wes over to keep me company." He squeezed Nick close for a second, then got up from the bed. "What time are you supposed to leave?" Nick looked at the alarm clock on the table by his bed. He jumped up.

"In about ten minutes. Shit. Can I shower first? I have to hurry." Nick was scrambling to get his things together and Jeff stifled a laugh. He let out a loud snort, then covered his mouth. Nick looked over at him quickly and smirked. "Something funny?"

"Not at all. Go take a shower. I'll get your clothes ready." He walked over to Nick's dresser, pulled out his favorite outfit on the young man who was now showering quickly in the adjoining bathroom, and then knocked on the door. "Your stuff is ready. Do you want me to leave the room?" He had never had to leave before, but then again, he had tried really hard not to pay attention before. Now, he wasn't sure if he could resist a peek if the boy changed in the room. The water shut off and he heard Nick grab a towel from under the sink. The door opened and Nick walked out with the towel draped loosely around his waist, his hair dripping water everywhere. Jeff gulped loudly.

"You can stay. Just no peeking." Nick winked at Jeff, which caused a blush to creep up his neck and to his face. Nick started to dry off, Jeff sitting on his bed, looking down at his lap. A moment later, Nick came to stand in front of him, pulling on his hands until he stood up. He pulled Jeff close to him, breathing in the nice smell of his shampoo. "I'm really going to miss you. I wish I didn't have to go." Jeff nodded into his chest in agreement. "I'll be back by curfew, Jeffy." Nick pulled him away enough to kiss him, and then let him go while he grabbed the rest of his things. He got to the door and turned to wave before leaving and his heart broke at what he saw. Jeff had put his books on Nick's bed which was where he was sitting, hugging Nick's pillow close to him. "I love you." Jeff looked up and smiled.

"I love you too. Have fun at the party. I'll wait up for you." Nick nodded and walked out the door, leaving Jeff to study and find things to occupy his time.

After lunch, he called Wes and they played cards until dinner. After dinner, David came home, so Jeff was once again left to find something to do with his time. He took a shower, cleaned up any messes Wes had made, and laid down on Nick's bed. He looked at the clock. Two more hours. Time was going by so slowly. His eyes started to droop, and he gave in to the sleep that he needed desperately.

He woke up to strong arms holding him close. He turned his head enough to see that Nick had come home safely and was now sleeping behind him. He looked to the clock, which read three in the morning. He had to be up in four hours for class, but he wasn't sure he could fall back asleep. He turned gently to look at the boy in bed with him. He noticed that all of his clothes from the day before were still on, but he had a black eye and a cracked lip. Jeff tried to take a closer look, but Nick jumped awake when he moved.

"What happened, Nicky?" Nick touched below his eye carefully, hoping it wouldn't hurt him. He flinched a little, but let Jeff examine his face.

"My dad didn't exactly like the idea of me having a boyfriend. He cornered me after the party and punched me a couple of times. It's not a big deal. It'll heal. Don't worry." Jeff did exactly that.

"You can't let your dad do this! You should file a report with the police. You don't have to see him anytime soon right? I don't want you to see him alone anymore." Jeff was shushed by Nick's lips meeting his fiercely.

"I don't care about this. I only see my dad about four times a year, and the next time will be his birthday over Spring Break. He probably won't even invite me home. Please don't worry. I really am fine. I put ice on it the whole way here." Nick smiled sadly down at Jeff and pulled him closer. "Did you have a good day?" Jeff kissed his shoulder before replying.

"I guess it was okay. I finished what I needed to. I missed you though." Jeff cuddled closer to Nick, closing his eyes and trying to relax as much as possible. Nick was rubbing his back slowly and humming quietly.

"I missed you too. Let's get back to sleep. I set the alarm for school." They both fell asleep rather quickly, only waking up when the alarm went off hours later.

Nick rolled over to hit the alarm clock, but Jeff had already crawled over him to get to it. Jeff had always been more of a morning person. He had no problem with getting out of bed and going to school. In fact, most days he loved school. It was a quality Nick loved and hated. He opened his eyes, only to close them again when he felt the pain shoot through his left cheekbone and up to his forehead. He moaned, hoping Jeff wouldn't hear, but he felt an ice pack a moment later.

"Keep that on for a little while. I already packed your stuff and got your uniform out so you can rest a little longer. I got us some coffee and bagels too, so we don't have to go down to breakfast." Nick smiled at his boyfriend lovingly.

"You're the best. How did I ever survive without you?" Jeff rolled his eyes.

"You haven't had to for a while. I put extra sugar in the coffee just like you like it and there's cream cheese on the bagel for you." Jeff handed him the stuff and held the ice pack away from his face to look closer. "Your lip already looks much better than a few hours ago, but your eye is more swollen. He must have hit you pretty hard."

Nick nodded and ate his bagel quickly, not realizing how hungry he really was. He hadn't eaten anything except a few bites of mashed potatoes the previous night. He was too nervous about the reactions of his family members to eat.

"Everything alright, Nicky?" Jeff looked at him with a concerned look on his face, but Nick just nodded again. "Do you want to talk about last night at all?" Nick shook his head, but then changed his mind. He didn't have to hide anything from Jeff. Jeff would understand what was going on. He swallowed some coffee and then started.

"I showed up and everything was good for a while. I mean, as good as it can be when your parents think you're a failure and your older brother clearly knows he is the favorite child. Once the rest of the family got there, I just was shoved into a corner, barely ate anything, and tried to stay out of the way like usual. My grandfather came over to ask how school was and then asked about a girlfriend." He paused, sighing, but looked up when Jeff gasped. "I didn't even hesitate to tell him about you. I certainly don't regret it either. He…well…he walked away and told everyone else. My dad just glared at me through dessert and when everyone left, he cornered me and thought he would beat the gay out of me. Apparently, that doesn't work though because as soon as I walked in the door and saw you sleeping, my heart started to race and I couldn't help but cuddle with you." He smiled at the end of his spiel and Jeff grabbed his hand. Nick wiped a tear from Jeff's cheek and pulled him close. "I have no time for them if they don't want to accept me and the person I love." He pulled back from Jeff, wiping another tear from his cheek. "Hey. Shhhh. It's okay. I'm fine, you're fine, we're both fine. I love you." Jeff smiled and took a deep breath.

"I love you too. I just wish that didn't cause all of this." He gestured to Nick's face. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that." He looked down, holding in more tears.

"I'm not sorry at all. I was honest and that's all I can be." He got up, pulling Jeff with him, and they stood holding each other for a few minutes. Nick looked at the clock. "Shit! We have to be in class in five minutes!" He pulled his uniform on, not even realizing that Jeff was watching him change. They ran out of the door and into the hall, running down the stairs, almost falling numerous times. Nick grabbed Jeff's hand, pulling him in for a kiss before walking into his classroom and letting Jeff get to his.

Classes seemed to drag on much longer than usual. American History, Marine Biology, and Creative Writing were Jeff's lonely classes. After lunch, all of his classes, French, Trigonometry, and Philosophy, were with Nick. Those would be much more fun and since he sat next to him all the time, he could hold his hand and write notes to pass the time.

When the lunch bell rang, Jeff ran out of his classroom and smacked into someone. He looked up to apologize and saw Nick smiling down at him.

"Hey there, handsome. Ready for lunch?" Jeff blushed and nodded, moving next to Nick, who put his arm around his waist and started to walk towards the cafeteria. "How has your morning been?" They stood in line, waiting for the special that day, which was chicken and broccoli alfredo.

"Boring without you. Yours?" Nick laughed and answered.

"About the same." He stopped for a second, seemingly contemplating saying something, then shook his head.

"What were you going to say?" Jeff was curious, and he knew Nick told him everything, so he found it shocking that he would try to hide anything.

"Nothing. It's not important. Let's just enjoy lunch, okay?" Jeff hesitated, but nodded, knowing that if it truly mattered Nick would share it with him.

They ate lunch with Wes and David, who were so involved with a discussion about some new video game coming out, they hardly noticed their presence. Every once in a while, Nick would rest his hand on Jeff's leg or Jeff would lean against Nick. They enjoyed each other's company, even though they didn't speak much.

Throughout the rest of the day, Jeff found it hard to concentrate in class. There were many things occupying his mind. For one, Nick kept running his fingers up his leg and speaking to him in only French. Also, he was noticing Nick getting paler and colder throughout the day, which usually meant he was getting sick. He tried to mention the nurse a few times, but Nick just ignored him and turned towards the teacher.

After the final bell, they made their way to Warbler practice. They were stopped in the hall by a senior who Jeff had never seen that wanted to talk to Nick about some party. Jeff just walked into the practice room and waited patiently by the window. A few minutes later, Nick joined him on the window seat and smiled at him. Jeff noticed he was even more pale and looked like he was sweating.

"You need to go to the room and lay down. You look sick." Jeff touched his forehead and pulled his hand back, shocked at the heat. "I'll tell Wes you had a fever. It's not a lie. I'll be there as soon as I get done here, okay?" Jeff kissed his head and watched him walk out of the room. He hoped Warbler practice would go by quickly.

Two hours later, Jeff rushed into the room to find that Nick was in the bathroom. He knocked on the door and spoke gently. "Are you alright in there, Nicky?" He waited a moment and then heard water slosh around. "Nicky?" He started to panic.

"I'm fine. Just taking a bath. I'll be out in a minute." Jeff sighed and sat on the bed. He had homework, but it could wait. He was really worried about Nick, mostly because he had only seen him sick one time, and that was just a cold. This seemed much worse. Nick came out of the bathroom a few minutes later wearing only a pair of sweatpants. He immediately got into his own bed and turned to look at Jeff.

"I don't want you to get sick. You should stay in your own bed tonight. I love you Jeffy." His voice was crackling and Jeff tried to smile.

"I love you too Nicky. Feel better so we can sleep together tomorrow night. I miss not being next to you already." He smiled and went to the bathroom to take a shower and get relaxed for bed. He came back into the room to see Nick's bed empty and a note on the mini fridge next to their bedside table.

_I decided to go down to the nurse's quarters for the night. I'll be back in the morning. Sleep well, handsome. Don't worry about me. Love, Nick_

Jeff sighed and got in bed, throwing the note on the bedside table. He was so tired, he didn't even notice Nick's sweatpants on the ground or the fact that his best outfit was missing from where it had been laid out on the chair at the desk. Jeff fell asleep clutching at his pillow that smelled like Nick, hoping he would be okay.

Jeff woke with a start to hear his cell phone going off. He groaned, rolling out of bed to get it where it fell on the floor.

"Hullo?" He yawned.

"Is this Jeff Sterling?"

"Yeah. Who's this?" Jeff suddenly woke up, knowing that something couldn't be right.

"This is an EMT. You were the first person on Nick's contact list. He's been in an accident and is currently on his way to Westerville Memorial Hospital. You aren't a parent or guardian are you?" Jeff jumped out of bed, pulling a shirt on and quickly replying.

"I'm his boyfriend. His parents should be in his phone. I'll be there in ten minutes." He hung up before there was a reply from the EMT.

If Nick ended up being okay, Jeff would kill him.


	4. Chapter 4

Jeff ran down the stairs, not even caring if someone heard. He wouldn't stop for anyone. He reached the door quicker than he ever remembered being able to, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He sighed heavily, turning around.

"Please just let me go. It's Nick." He looked up to see Blaine staring at him and frowning. Jeff shook his hand off. "What do you want?"

"You'll get in trouble." Blaine had a questioning look on his face and Jeff turned back towards the door.

"I don't care. The guy I love could be dead!" He could feel the tears about to fall, but he just took a shaky breath and opened the door. He heard Blaine walk away so he bolted. He ran all the way to the gate that locked at midnight every night. He climbed it as quickly as he could, hoping that the cameras wouldn't catch his face or ridiculously bright blonde hair.

Once over the fence, he barreled down the road that led to the main road where he could catch a taxi. There were very few in town, especially at this hour, so his chances were very slim. He stopped at the corner, waited for two minutes, then decided to just run to the hospital. He was on the track team the previous year at his old school, and even being out of shape he knew he could make the distance quickly. He stretched his legs as quickly as possible, looked for any traffic, then ran towards the hospital. He knew it would take at least fifteen minutes, even without stopping, so he tried to find a comfortable pace so that he didn't have to stop.

He felt some rain drops fall, but he didn't slow down. The rain picked up after a few minutes, making the ground around him slippery. He wiped his eyes every few seconds to keep them clear, but it was no use. He ran without seeing anything except what was directly in front of him, hoping that he would get to the hospital soon. He heard thunder in the distance and lightning lit up the sky, giving him a better view of what was coming. There were cars coming and he ran to the side of the road, not slowing down at all, and hoping the cars would see him. They passed, splashing even more water onto him and he felt tears come to his eyes. _Damnit, Nick, you better be alive when I get there. _

About ten minutes later, he could see the hospital in the distance and it made him run even faster. He was starting to get tired, but he was so close, and he needed to make sure Nick was alright. He picked up the pace, starting to feel sick to his stomach, which was probably more the fact that Nick might not even be alive at this point than the running. He somehow made it through the door of the emergency room, immediately locating Nick's parents sitting in a corner. He had only seen them once before, and they were friendly to him then because he was just Nick's roommate. Now, he was the hated boyfriend and in a stressful situation, they would probably blame him for anything they possibly could. He stopped in the doorway, leaning down to catch his breath, and realized he was probably going to pass out if he didn't drink some water, so he got some out of the water fountain. He made his way over to Nick's parents. Nick's mom was crying into his dad's shoulder. He had no expression on his face other than exhausted. He didn't even appear concerned. Jeff felt like punching him, but refrained because he wanted to know everything.

"Mr. and Mrs. Duval? I'm Jeff, Nick's roommate? They called me and I'm so worried. Have they told you anything?" Nick was shocked to see Mr. Duval stand up suddenly and come close to Jeff's face.

"You're the one who has my son convinced he's gay. Leave now. You have no business here. He's our son, and…"

"Oh, you mean the son that you punched a few times because he was trying to be honest about who he was? I have every bit as much business to be here as you do. He's my boyfriend. He would want me here. I wouldn't have been the first one they called if he didn't." Jeff had never stood up to an adult like that, and it actually scared him a little when Mr. Duval looked like he might punch him, but Mrs. Duval stepped between them.

"Stop. Jeff can be here if he would like." She turned to face Jeff. "They haven't told us anything yet except that he is in emergency surgery and it isn't looking good. They'll be out as soon as anything, good or bad, happens." She burst into tears again. Her husband helped her back to her seat, glaring at Jeff the whole time. Jeff just sat down across from them, staring at the double doors that were marked **EMERGENCY ROOM PERSONNEL ONLY. **There was a sign lit up on the wall saying **OPERATING ROOM 267 OCCUPIED. **It was the only thing lit up, so he knew immediately that was the room Nick was in. He watched it intently for the next hour, not hearing anything or seeing anything except the sign that was lit up and the double doors next to it. A few nurses came out occasionally, but all of them took an immediate right down the hall, so he knew they weren't reporting about Nick.

Another hour passed and he started to really worry. He sat forward in his seat, jiggling his leg up and down and glancing at the clock every minute.

Finally, the light went off and Jeff stood up and ran to the double doors, hoping a doctor would immediately appear, but that didn't happen. Another ten minutes passed before a doctor walked out and right into Jeff.

"Excuse me, sir. Are you here for Nick? Where are his parents?" Jeff nodded and pointed to the Duvals in the corner, who stood up when they saw the doctor and walked over quickly.

The doctor clasped his hands in front of him and frowned.

"He's alive. I don't know how and it's a true miracle. He won't be back to normal for a very long time, if at all. I can go over the injuries now if you'd like, but that will need to be more private."

"Can I see him?" Jeff hadn't realized he asked until the doctor turned to him and shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid he has to be in isolation for the next six hours at least. Just to keep the chance of infection down as much as possible. You can all join me in my office to discuss the injuries." The doctor had them sign a paper, but when the paper got to Jeff, Mr. Duval took it away and shook his head.

"You aren't family. You can visit him tomorrow. Go back to Dalton." The doctor pretended not to notice this exchange for a moment, but then looked at Jeff sadly. Jeff knew hospital policy: If the family of the patient did not give written consent for non-family members to see someone in the ICU, they couldn't see them. Jeff felt tears come to his eyes and the doctor gently patted his hand, seeming to somehow understand what was happening. Jeff looked down at his lap and let a tear fall. He stood up and wiped his eyes.

"I guess I'll be back tomorrow then." He looked up at the doctor, wiping another tear. "Thank you for saving his life." The doctor stood up and shook his hand. He paused for a second and then turned to the Duvals.

"I'm going to escort him out to make sure he is okay. Please look through the papers you will need to sign when I get back." The doctor put his hand on Jeff's shoulder and gently guided him out of the office, shutting the door behind him. He started to talk softly and quickly. "This is against the rules, but you seem to care about him deeply and I can see that his parents don't see that or don't care. I'll tell you that his injuries are extensive. He is by no means out of the woods yet. I can't tell you all of his injuries, but I can warn you that he doesn't look good at all and the chances of him not remembering anyone or anything over his lifetime is still a possibility. He is in a medically induced coma for now and probably will be for the next 48-72 hours, which unfortunately increases his chances of memory loss. I have no problem letting you in tomorrow when he is allowed normal visitors, but I'm going to have to ask you to not put up a fight about this right now." The doctor smiled sadly. "I know this is rough on you. I'm sure he would be happy to know you're here for him. Leave your number at the desk and I will call if anything changes. That's also against hospital policy, but I don't think anyone will notice."

"Why are you doing this?" Jeff sniffled and wiped the tears that had started to fall during the doctor's speech.

"I know exactly how you feel right now. My husband's parents never accepted us and when he was in the hospital with cancer, they refused to sign off to see him. Nick kind of reminds me of him a little. I hope everything works out for you both."

"Thank you." The doctor walked back into the office, shutting the door. Jeff left his number at the desk and walked outside, where it was still raining. He just sat outside the door, letting the rain completely soak him through again. He cried until he didn't think he had tears left. He slowly got up, realizing that the sun had risen while he was busy in his own mind. He stood in the same spot for a moment, not realizing when a car pulled up and Kurt ran out, pulling him to his chest.

"Are you okay? What's happening? Is Nick okay?" Kurt was talking softly, but he was panicking. Jeff broke down again, letting Kurt hug him even closer and then he felt someone's hand on his shoulder that felt a little familiar.

"Jeff, let's get in the car okay?" Jeff let them lead him into the backseat of that, both on either side of him and he continued to cry for an immeasurable amount of time. When Blaine finally spoke, Jeff just stared out the windshield, afraid to hear anything or see anything that might hurt him. "Would you like to tell us what's going on?" Blaine's voice was soft and caring, but Jeff didn't want to talk about it.

"I just need to go lay down. Please." Blaine looked at Kurt worriedly. He hopped into the driver's seat, buckled in, and turned the car on. Kurt reached over and buckled Jeff in, then himself, pulling Jeff into his side for comfort. Jeff pretended not to notice Blaine's scared glance at Kurt in the rearview mirror.

When they arrived back at school, he walked straight to his room, avoiding everyone who tried to talk to him. He could hear Blaine and Kurt following at a safe distance behind him, quietly explaining briefly to people that "now was not the time." He made it to his room, sinking into Nick's bed and hugging the pillow that smelled like him close to his body. He felt numb. He couldn't even cry anymore. He heard Blaine and Kurt walk in a moment later, sitting on his bed and staring at him. He just got into a zone, remembering everything about Nick, everything about their friendship, everything about their relationship, and how it could all be for nothing because of this. He knew the tears would start to come again soon, but until then, he would just stare at nothing. Blaine cleared his throat.

"They told us that Nick was in a serious accident. Is he…um…" He looked to Kurt for help. Blaine had never been good in these kinds of situations, but Kurt always knew exactly what to say or do to help.

"I think we just both would like to know that he's alive and well." Kurt placed his hand in Blaine's and that's what did it for Jeff. He stood up and started to pace.

"That stupid fucking asshole went to a party, probably got drunk, probably fucking drove, and then nearly died in an accident. Yes, he's alive, but barely and he may not be that way for very long from what the doctor said." He started to cry again. "His parents refused to sign off to let me in so I have to wait until..." He looked down at the alarm clock on the table, wiping his eyes to see better, "eleven to see him. And even then it won't be like seeing him, it'll be like seeing some stupid asshole you read about who didn't do what they were supposed to and had too many drinks and still thought he was okay to drive home." He let out a sob and collapsed back onto the bed, throwing Nick's pillow across the room.

Blaine retrieved the pillow, gently placing it next to Jeff, who was sobbing into the other pillows on Nick's bed. Jeff just stared at it, almost hoping it would go away, but then giving in and hugging it close to him again. Blaine spoke after another moment.

"I'm sorry this happened, Jeff. I doubt Nick did anything to intentionally hurt you. And I'm sure he will pull through. He's strong and otherwise healthy before this." Blaine rubbed his back soothingly and Kurt came over to grab his hand. "We can stay with you until noon if you want."

Jeff shook his head. "I'll be fine. Thanks guys."

"It's what friends do. Call or text if you need us." Kurt brushed the hair out of his eyes and got up. Blaine patted his back and walked with Kurt out of the room. Jeff just continued to cry until he finally fell asleep.

He woke up to his cell phone going off. _Nick. _He pulled it from his pocket and saw an unknown number, but answered it anyways.

"Hello?" His voice was shaking, hoping nothing was wrong.

"Jeff? It's Dr. Avers. Can we talk for a moment?" Jeff gulped. He saw that the clock read ten. Only one more hour.

"Sure. Is everything okay?"

"I think you'd find this change of events much better. Nick remains the same. However, his parents have left for some business thing and have decided to sign over permission for you to come in whenever. They have you listed as a cousin, but no one would actually check into it. You can come in now if you like." The doctor sounded like a combination of happy that Jeff could see him and upset that he would have to see him like he was.

"I'll be right in." Jeff hung up, rushing to put his shoes back on, which he hadn't remembered taking off. He grabbed a water bottle, chugged it, then quickly left the room. He wasn't in as much of a rush this time because he knew he could get a taxi. He stopped by Blaine's room to see that no one was there, realizing after he knocked that they would still be in class. He continued to leave campus, sneaking out of the gate while the guard was otherwise preoccupied. He ran to the end of the street, enjoying the feeling of the wind on his face, but not liking that it was still raining. He got a taxi within a minute, realizing that he only had enough to get him to the block before the hospital. When they arrived, he got out quickly, running the rest of the way to see Nick.

As soon as he walked in, he saw that the lights on the occupied room board were lighting up more. He counted six that were lit up before he finally walked over to the desk.

"Nick Duval, please."

"The doctor will be out in a moment to talk with you before you go in. Have a seat please."

Jeff sat, jiggling his legs up and down impatiently. After what seemed like forever, Dr. Avers walked out with a solemn look on his face. Jeff jumped up, his heart racing.

"Is everything okay? He's fine right?"

"Nothing's changed. In fact, all of his cuts are looking better already. We've been quite impressed with his progress in such a short period of time. I just needed to warn you that he doesn't look like himself. He is very swollen in some areas, and there's a lot of bruising, especially in his face and chest areas. His head is wrapped tightly so that you can only see his face. He has a broken arm and leg, as well as broken ribs, and internal bleeding, which is still a huge risk. It also looks like he may have some type of infection, but it isn't serious, and we aren't too worried about it. Just be prepared." Jeff nodded and allowed himself to be led to Nick's room, which was only a few feet behind the door. The doctor opened the door, letting Jeff in.

He nearly passed out. He had been prepared. At least, he thought he had been prepared. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw, though. Nick looked nearly dead. There was no pretty way to put it, he was knocking on death's door. Jeff gasped and walked over to the bed, putting his hand over his mouth as he felt tears well up in his eyes. The doctor had been right, and it hurt to see Nick like this. He hadn't expected anything quite this bad.

"Here's a chair. I imagine you'll be here a while. Feel free to press the call button if you need anything and especially if he wakes up, which he shouldn't. Oh, how old are you?"

"18. Today is my birthday."

"Happy birthday. I'm sorry you're spending it here. I'm glad you're 18 though. It makes this much easier."

"Yes, it does. Thanks for everything."

Dr. Avers nodded and left the room.

"You stupid fucking idiot. I love you."

Jeff broke down more than he had before and grabbed Nick's hand, hoping that he would feel it and would know to be okay.


	5. Chapter 5

Jeff hadn't remembered falling asleep with his head next to Nick's arm. The last thing he remembered was crying and squeezing Nick's hand repeatedly, hoping he would wake up long enough to tell him he loved him and to not give up. The nurses came in every hour, the doctor came in every few hours, and a few random visitors stopped by throughout the day. Blaine and Kurt had brought him a bag of clothes and bathroom supplies, knowing that he wouldn't be leaving until he knew Nick would be fine. They stayed for an hour, not saying much, and then left when the doctor came in for the third time that day.

"No change I see." The doctor looked at Nick's chart. "We can attempt to wake him up tomorrow afternoon, but he may be in too much pain to handle it. If that's the case, we will induce the coma for another 24 hours. I do think that once we start a regular morphine drip, he'll be able to deal though." The doctor put the chart down and looked at Nick's many bruises and cuts. He looked up at Jeff finally. "How are you holding up?"

Jeff thought for a moment before answering. "Could be better, but I could be worse." He squeezed Nick's hand and attempted a smile at the doctor. "Do you think he'll be able to talk tomorrow?"

The doctor took a deep breath in and exhaled sharply. "I couldn't really be sure, but my guess is no. Not only will he be in a lot of pain, but his throat also had a very large cut on it that had to be stitched and talking may hurt him. If he does though, I'll make sure you can hear him." The doctor smiled at Jeff and waved, walking out of the room quietly.

Jeff rested his head back on the bed. His back was killing him, his head hurt, he was tired, hungry, and he just wanted to cry some more. He was so glad to be here with Nick, but he didn't want to have to be here with Nick. He still wasn't sure how he could forgive him for any of this. He decided just to wait for as much of the story as he could remember before yelling. Jeff didn't want to scare him.

Jeff woke up a few hours later, still tired, and definitely more sore than he ever remembered being before, but he heard a soft voice in the corner. He turned to see his mom sitting by the window.

"The school called and told me what was happening. I'm so sorry, Jeff." He ran to his mom and she took him in her arms, letting him sob into her shoulder. She had always been accepting of him, knowing that he was who he was and he couldn't change it. Her husband was much the same way, but unfortunately, they were divorced. It was rough on Jeff when it happened, and for the longest time he was convinced it was because he came out to them, but both of his parents had constantly told him it was because they just weren't in love anymore. "The doctor told me the major things. I'm guessing you're staying for a while." She glanced at his bag in the corner and smiled sadly. "He would be happy to know you've been here the whole time, honey. Why don't you go take a shower and brush your teeth? I'll get you if anything happens." Jeff sat up and did as she said, squeezing Nick's hand before freshening up in the hospital bathroom.

About twenty minutes later he walked out to see the doctor talking to his mom. He assumed it was something bad so he ran to them and frowned. "What's wrong?"

The doctor and his mother both smiled, which Jeff found really odd. "It looks like we'll be waking him up earlier than expected. His vitals have shown a drastic improvement over the last three hours and we feel that it would be a good time to try to switch to regular morphine drips. I promised you could be in here when we did it, so how about you take your position?" Jeff grabbed Nick's hand immediately and started to rub his arm as gently as possible. The doctor set everything up, and a nurse switched everything over, letting us know as soon as she was done. It took a couple minutes, but Jeff suddenly felt Nick squeezing his hand until it hurt. He felt tears in his eyes as he looked at Nick's face. It had gone from somewhat peaceful to pained in such a short period of time. Jeff felt his mom's hand on his shoulder and he tried to take a deep breath.

"Nick? Baby? Can you hear me? I love you." Nick let his hand loosen a little and Jeff continued to rub gentle circles on his arm, which seemed to relax him a little.

"Nick? This is Dr. Avers. I need you to try to open your eyes for me. I know you are confused and in pain, but I need to be able to help you." Nick took in a deep breath and moaned at the pain he was obviously feeling. Jeff squeezed his hand gently. Nick opened his eyes slowly, squinting with the bright light above him. "Good job! Now, do you think you can talk?"

Nick took a shaky breath, let it out, then tried again. He turned to Jeff and Jeff saw a tear in his eyes. His hoarse voice rang out in the room. "I'm so sorry, Jeffy." Jeff reached up and gently wiped the tears falling from Nick's eyes. He smiled, happy to see that Nick was able to talk.

"I know." Jeff felt his mom's hand tighten again on his shoulder. "I want to know what happened, but not now. I'm just happy you're alive." He felt a tear slip down his cheek and he sniffled. Nick tried to smile, but it was more like a grimace. The doctor touched a few buttons and Nick seemed to relax a little more, but didn't take his eyes off of Jeff.

"Nick, I'm going to need you to tell me what pain you have. Take your time. Get used to the morphine. It might make you feel nauseous and lightheaded. Just breathe normally."

Jeff was quite surprised to hear Nick listing his pain quickly. "My ribs hurt a lot, my head is pounding, my arm has a shooting pain in it, and my leg aches." He got really pale and the nurse held the bucket up to his face just in time for him to throw up. Jeff rubbed his arm soothingly, hoping it would help him feel better. It seemed to after a moment or two. Jeff reached up and wiped another tear from Nick's cheek and Nick tried to smile again. He took in a deep breath. "I love you so much."

The doctor smiled and Jeff's mom spoke up. "Nick, I'm Isabelle, Jeff's mom. I hope you don't mind me being here. I was very worried." Nick looked up towards her and tried to remember if he had ever met her before.

"I don't mind." He coughed a little and let out a little whimper. The doctor interrupted.

"I think that's enough talking for now. You should rest so that you can heal. I'll be back tomorrow morning to explain everything. Jeff will be here with you all night I think, so you won't be alone. You're lucky to be alive, Nick." The doctor left the room and Jeff's mom moved back to her seat by the window, giving Jeff some alone time with Nick.

"Just rest, baby. I want you to get better." Nick smiled for real this time and squeezed Jeff's hand.

"I want to kiss you." Jeff smirked. Nick was heavily medicated and probably wasn't feeling most of the pain anymore, but he was still Nick.

"I don't want to hurt you." Nick frowned and looked sadly at Jeff. Jeff sighed and stood up, leaning over to kiss Nick, who reached up with his good arm and pulled him closer. Jeff laughed. "Nicky, my mom's here." Nick just kissed him more intensely and Jeff moaned. "Nick." Nick let him go finally and sighed.

"I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do that again." He coughed and Jeff rubbed his arm.

"Me too. Now, rest. I'll be here when you wake up." Nick smiled and closed his eyes. Once his hand relaxed in Jeff's, Jeff knelt his head down and started to cry. He wasn't sure why he was crying anymore. He was relieved mostly, but he was still angry that Nick did this to himself. He felt his mom come behind him and rub his back. He took a shaky breath and looked up at her.

"Are you hungry? I was going to go get some dinner. How does McDonald's sound?" Jeff smiled.

"Sounds like you remember my favorite place to eat. Can I get a Big Mac and a large fry please?"

"That's a lot of food."

"I haven't eaten since dinner with Nick before the accident."

"Okay. I'll be back in a bit." She smiled and walked out of the room. Jeff decided to set up his cot since Nick would be asleep for a while and he could try to get some actual rest after he ate. He looked over at Nick when he heard a moan, but saw that he was smiling so he ignored it.

His mom came in only a minute after he finished setting up the cot in the room. He smiled up at her and she set the food down on the edge of the table for Nick's food when he was able to eat again.

"You need to eat. He didn't wake up did he?" Jeff shook his head and grabbed the food from the table. He finished in record time, realizing too late that he would probably get a stomachache. He threw his trash away and turned to his mom, who was eating a chicken salad slowly.

"You think he'll be okay?" He knew his mom wasn't a doctor, but he also knew she would be honest with him, even more so than the doctor would.

"I think he'll be just fine, honey. He's got you." She smiled comfortingly at him and he looked down at his lap.

"Do you think we'll be okay?" He bit his lip to hold back the tears he knew would come if he thought about how truly angry he was.

"I think you will both figure everything out in time. People make mistakes, especially at this age. I know he is incredibly sorry."

"He's only sorry because something happened."

"I think he would have been sorry whether he was here in this hospital or in your room back at Dalton. He'll figure out how to make it up to you and you will forgive him. I can see how much you love him and I can see that he loves you more than you think he does." She smirked and stood up. "I have to go home. Visiting hours are over. I'll be back in the morning. I love you, honey. Call if you need anything at all." She kissed his cheek and he said goodbye.

He moved his cot closer to Nick's bed, hoping to be able to hold his hand through the whole night. While he was changing into his sweatpants, he heard a laugh come from Nick's bed.

"Best view I've woken up to in years." Jeff spun around quickly, looking at Nick with a shocked face.

"You're supposed to be sleeping." He pulled his sweatpants up quickly. He sat down on the edge of Nick's bed and held his hand. "You should sleep."

"I don't want to." He grimaced. "Everything hurts too much."

"I can get the doctor in here." Nick shook his head when Jeff got up to press the nurse button. "They can give you more morphine."

"It makes me feel sick."

"But you don't have pain."

"I prefer the pain."

"Why would you prefer pain?" Jeff had never heard anyone say they prefer pain over nausea.

"It reminds me not to do stupid things anymore." Nick turned his head to hide the tears falling from his eyes. He felt Nick grip his shoulder and then his hand on his cheek, pulling his face towards him.

"I think you've learned your lesson. Do you want to talk about this now?" Nick nodded and took a deep breath. "Are you sure?" Jeff wouldn't admit it, but he was terrified to hear the story. He was almost hoping Nick wouldn't remember it so that they could just throw it in the past and move on. That was not the case though.

"I went to this party to celebrate an old friend's birthday. I swear I wasn't going to drink. I had promised you I wouldn't and I was going to stick to it. Wait, can you help me sit up?" Jeff looked at him nervously, but gently helped him sit up, bringing the bed to a sitting position. "Thanks." Jeff nodded for him to continue. "I did good for about an hour. I just kind of mingled, but I started to feel really guilty about lying to you about where I was. And I promise I wasn't faking sick. I was actually feeling really sick. I think that's why I accepted the first shot of vodka. I figured it would be just enough to make me feel better and then I could enjoy myself a little more." Nick stopped to cough and Jeff handed him some water. He shouldn't have been talking this much, but he couldn't wait for this conversation to be over. He cleared his throat, wincing a little at the pain, and then continued. "My friend convinced me to do a couple more shots, and I just let go. I don't even remember how many drinks I had after the fourth shot, but I know it was way more than I should have had." He looked down at his lap, feeling extremely guilty. "Someone I hardly knew offered me a ride, but I said I was fine to drive. Obviously, I wasn't. It took me ten minutes just to find my car, even though I'm pretty sure I passed it about six times. I was so drunk. The whole time my mind just kept thinking about how I needed to get home to you to apologize for breaking my promise." He wiped a tear and took a breath, looking up at Jeff. "I didn't see the truck. I was trying to get to you, but everything was blurry and there was rain and I was going so fast. I didn't see it. I should have, but I didn't. I'm so sorry, Jeff. You have no idea how much I regretted everything as soon as I drank." He burst into full on sobs, which caused him to whimper in pain every few seconds as well. Jeff pulled him into his side as gently as possible and shushed him.

"Please calm down, Nick. Please. It's okay. I forgive you." He hadn't meant to say it and he didn't think he would be able to forgive him this easily, but he did. Nick had a hold on Jeff's shirt and was holding as tightly as he possibly could.

"Please don't break up with me. I swear to you I will never drink again. I won't lie anymore. I won't ever do anything wrong again." He let out a full sob and Jeff held him even tighter, but still tried not to hurt him.

"I'm not leaving you, Nick. I love you so much." He tried to calm Nick down as much as possible, but a nurse walked in a moment later looking nervous.

"Is everything alright in here?" Jeff nodded. "Please come get me if you need something."

The nurse walked out and Jeff kissed the top of Nick's head. "Calm down, baby. I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

Nick slowly calmed down, started to breathe normally, and Jeff kissed his forehead. Soon enough, he heard a snore come from Nick and he smirked. He rested against the bed, getting comfortable for a long night.


	6. Chapter 6

Nick opened his eyes slowly, trying to keep his breathing slow so that he wouldn't wake the sleeping boy holding him. He was in more pain than he could have thought possible. He refused to complain even a little though. All of this was his own fault and he wasn't going to put Jeff through knowing that his pain was intolerable. He looked up at Jeff, who was leaning his head back to sleep. Jeff had worry lines on his face and Nick slowly reached up to touch his cheek, realizing how odd it felt to pull on the IV drip. Jeff's face relaxed a little at the touch and Nick smiled.

Not only was Jeff missing school to stay with him, he had fought his parents and the hospital to be able to come, and his mother had been so great when she visited. Unlike Nick, Jeff's parents were totally fine with his sexual orientation. In fact, when he had come out to them, his father had joked that he would need to start scouting the all-boys schools in the state. Of course, Nick had always had a little jealousy for Jeff in that regard, especially when his parents threatened to send him to "Get Straight" camps. Nick frowned, but looked up when he heard a small knock on the door. Jeff shifted a little, but didn't wake up.

"Good morning, honey. Get some rest?" Jeff's mom walked in the door with a small bag that he assumed was for Jeff until she set it on the end of his bed and started to unzip it. He nodded and smiled at the woman who was being a better mother to him than his own mother had ever been. "Good. I brought some things for both of you. I know it must be incredibly boring, so I brought Jeff's favorite book, some word search puzzles, a Nintendo DS that was sitting in Jeff's room, and some cards. I hope it'll help." Nick just looked at her completely speechless. "I hope you don't mind me stopping by." She looked down nervously, but Nick reached out to her hand slowly.

"Thank you so much. For everything. It means a lot." His voice was raspy and it hurt to talk. He gulped down some water that was on the table and tried to continue. "I'm so glad you're visiting." Jeff's mom smiled and squeezed his hand gently, then looked up at Jeff.

"That boy could sleep through a tornado, I swear. How long has he been out?" She looked back to Nick, who smirked.

"I think he fell asleep shortly after I did the second time, so maybe midnight. I don't want to wake him though. He hasn't slept much, even before I got in the hospital." He looked up at Jeff again and shook his head. "I don't think I know the last time he slept through the whole night."

"I'm worried about him. He seems stressed. I think Dalton may be a little tough for him, though he won't admit it. He likes a challenge. Says life would be boring without one. His father and I spoke last night about maybe transferring him to the public school a few miles away." Nick looked up in shock. She squeezed his hand again, hoping to calm him down. "Oh, don't worry. We decided it would only be necessary if his grades were poor. I wouldn't take him away from you." Nick blushed and felt Jeff move a little bit. They stayed quiet until Jeff seemed to be comfortable again. "I have to go to work. I just wanted to drop those things off. His dad will be by on his lunch break, and I'll be back after work if you'd like. Just tell us if we get to be a pain okay?" Nick nodded, smiling brightly. He wanted them around as much as possible. He hated sounding selfish, but they were the closest things he had to parents right now.

Jeff's mom got up, waved, and left the room quickly. Nick settled back against Jeff.

"I am so good at fake sleeping." Nick was startled to heard Jeff's voice, slightly rough from sleep, but definitely a normal volume.

"How long have you been awake?"

"About thirty minutes. I woke up right when you did. I can't actually rest when you're in pain." He reached over to the call button, pressed it, and kissed Nick's forehead. "Don't try to be brave. You're in pain and you need medicine." Nick nodded and Jeff got off of the bed, right when a nurse came in.

"How can I help you?"

"He needs some more relief."

"Of course. The doctor will be in shortly to give it to him. Unfortunately, I've been told not to give him anymore until then. We can get you some food while you wait, though."

Nick thought for a moment. "Do you have pancakes?"

The nurse smiled. "Sure. I'll send some up." She left the room and Jeff looked furious.

"What the hell? They can give you medicine. I watched them give you tons all day yesterday, what's a little more gonna do? That doctor is going to…"

"Jeff. I'm fine. The doctor will be here soon. I can deal with it." He winced as he tried to shift to a sitting position.

"No you can't. You shouldn't have to. You shouldn't have to feel pain at all. That's why you're here."

"I really can handle it. How about you take a break, go get some breakfast? I'll wait here." Nick winked and Jeff smirked. He grabbed some clothes from his bag and started to walk towards the bathroom.

"Fine. I'm only going to go for ten minutes though. That won't leave you enough time to die on me or anything."

"I'm not going to die. Just go eat something." They smiled at each other before Jeff went into the bathroom to change and freshen up. Nick gasped in pain when he leaned back too fast and Jeff opened the door, not wearing a shirt, toothbrush in his mouth. He held his thumb up, obviously asking if Nick was okay and he nodded with a grimace. Jeff shook his head, walked into the bathroom, then walked back out, pulling his shirt on.

"You aren't very good at convincing me you're okay, you know." Jeff brushed the hair out of Nick's face. He really needed to get it cut, but school and Warblers had made him so busy, he didn't have the time to make an appointment. Nick felt tears in his eyes when he felt a stinging sensation in numerous places all over his body. He took a deep breath and tried to hold back the tears, but one fell anyways. Jeff wiped it away. "I love you. I wish I could make all of this better for you." Jeff was trying to be strong, but it was hard watching the boy he loved go through so much. "I think I'll stay here and share your pancakes." He rubbed Nick's arm gently, making sure to avoid the bruise that spread across his elbow where it nearly broke. Nick just sighed and nodded, leaning back and trying to relax until he got breakfast or the doctor came in. He felt a headache coming on. He also felt a little nauseous. Before he realized what was happening, his vision went blurry and he started to shake. He heard Jeff yelling his name, but he blacked out moments later, giving in to whatever was happening to him.

He woke up God knows how much later. He felt someone holding his right hand, but he also felt someone holding his left hand, which he found odd. He blinked his eyes open carefully, immediately looking to Jeff who had red eyes and tear tracks down his cheeks. Nick squeezed his hand and he wiped at his face a few times, trying to look like he wasn't a complete mess.

"What happened?" Nick's voice was barely more than a whisper. He turned to the person on his left, and was shocked to see Jeff's dad smiling gently at him.

"You had a seizure about three hours ago. Do you remember anything, bud?" Jeff's dad reminded him a lot of Mr. Hummel, Kurt's dad. He was more of businessman, always dressed in a suit, but he had the same caring nature that Mr. Hummel did and he found it relaxing and touching. Jeff looked up at Nick, hoping he would be able to remember something.

"I felt like a migraine was starting and I felt sick and then I started shaking." Jeff looked down at his lap and Nick saw a tear fall. "I blacked out after that. Am I okay now?" Just then, the doctor walked in and looked at Nick.

"Nice to see you awake. You gave us quite a scare. Thought we might have lost you for a minute there." Nick looked at Jeff. That explained why Jeff was a mess. "We called your parents to let them know about your seizure and its affects. They will be back next week as long as nothing else too serious happens. We're pretty certain that this is a one-time occurrence. How are you feeling right now?" The doctor pulled a stool to Nick, checking his pulse and blood pressure.

"I feel like I'm in a lot of pain, but nothing different than before." His voice was still quiet. The doctor wrote a few notes on his clipboard and stood up.

"I think everything checks out normal. If it happens again, we'll do an MRI to make sure there wasn't any permanent damage done. If you feel like it might happen again, tell us immediately." The doctor moved the stool where it belonged and headed towards the door. "I have to check on another patient who isn't looking too good. If you need something, press the button." He left the room and Nick sighed.

"You should probably get some rest, Nick. Your brain needs to heal more I think." Nick didn't need to be told twice. He was already drifting back to sleep before Jeff's dad could even finish that sentence. He squeezed Jeff's hand before completely falling asleep again.

He awoke to voices in his room, one most definitely Jeff's, the other sounding a lot like Jeff's mom, but he couldn't be sure unless he opened his eyes. He didn't want to though, so he pretended to be asleep.

"Jeff, you can't let your grades drop. I know Nick is important to you, but missing this much school can't be good for your grades. He wouldn't want you to fail." He heard Jeff sniffle.

"Don't you even see that I don't care? I won't get better grades if I show up anyways. I'll be too worried about him to actually pay attention. I'm better off here. He won't be in here much longer."

"You heard the doctor. He'll be here for at least four more days unless some miracle happens. Even when he goes home, he'll have to be on bed rest for a week or more. You can't be the sole person responsible for him."

"I can and I will if that's what I have to do. Nothing is more important than him." Nick felt Jeff sit on the edge of his bed and squeeze his uninjured leg.

"Fine. Remember that when you're fighting for a passing grade in a few weeks' time." He heard a door slam and Jeff sniffled louder than the last time. He felt Jeff get up and the cot next to his bed creaked. Nick opened his eyes and yawned.

"Jeffy, what's wrong?" Jeff looked up, crying, and then looked back down, trying to wipe away his tears. "Come here." Jeff got up, looking at his feet. He sat on the very edge of Nick's bed. Nick pulled his close to him gently. Jeff tried to fight him, but he refused to let go. "Tell me what's wrong please."

"I'm just worried and stressed." He sniffled and then let out a silent sob. Nick rubbed his back and kissed the top of his head.

"About what?"

"Everything. You, mostly. School. Warblers. My summer job that's starting in a couple weeks."

"You shouldn't worry, especially about me. I'm going to be completely fine. Why are you so worried?"

"You had a seizure Nick! We were talking and suddenly you weren't! Do you know how scared I was?" He took a deep breath. "I have never been that scared in my life."

"I'm sorry I put you through that."

"Don't apologize for things you can't control."

"Fine. I just don't want you to worry anymore. I will be fine. I'll go home soon."

"Have you put any thought into where home is, Nick? The doctor seems to think it's with your parents. I don't want you with them. They won't help you. They'll end up leaving you alone with a maid if you're lucky."

"I was going to go back to Dalton."

"And do what?"

"I don't know. Stay in bed?"

Jeff laughed. "You do realize I wouldn't be able to go to class knowing you need help doing just about everything right?"

"I'm sure when they let me out I'll be able to do what I need to."

"Nick, you can't even pee by yourself."

They both laughed at this.

"True. I'm hoping that's just a short inconvenience." He smiled at Jeff, who was looking up at him, finally smiling. "I really don't want you to worry. In fact, you should go to school tomorrow." Jeff tried to interrupt but Nick shushed him. "I'll text you if I need you, I promise. You can't miss this much school for me. You can come back here after Warblers practice."

"I don't want to go to Warblers practice."

"Yes you do."

Jeff didn't know what to say. He really did want to. He knew singing would help him feel better about everything, but he really wanted to be able to be there with Nick, which was impossible.

"I want to be with you more, though."

"You can be after practice. The boys probably miss you a lot."

"They miss you too. They text me all day long." Nick smiled. Jeff's face suddenly lit up and he jumped out of the bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay right here."

"I don't really have an option, baby."

Jeff blushed and leaned down to kiss Nick's cheek. "I've got an idea. Be back soon."

He was out the door before Nick could get any details about his idea, which quite honestly scared him a little.


	7. Chapter 7

Jeff walked into his first class with his head low, trying to hide the fact that he hadn't slept more than a few hours in a long time. He didn't want to deal with anyone at all, so of course everyone stopped and asked how he was. He tried to be as polite as possible, but he really didn't have the patience or energy to have a conversation with people.

Saying goodbye to Nick was tough that morning. He had gotten up and ready before Nick was awake, but when he came out of the bathroom, Nick was trying to sit up, grimacing in pain. Jeff had spent the next twenty minutes making sure Nick had everything he needed, making sure Nick promised to call or text if anything happened, and touching him as often and as casually as he possibly could. Nick laughed quietly.

"Are you sure you won't forget to call or text?" Nick sighed at Jeff's tone.

"This is getting ridiculous. You're going to be late. No, I won't forget to call or text. Yes, I can reach everything I could possibly need for the next 10 hours. And if you touch my broken leg one more time, I swear to God I will kick you." Jeff slumped over and put his hands in his lap. Nick reached over and held one of his hands. "Hey." Jeff looked up and Nick saw the tears in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried that something will happen and I won't be able to get here fast enough."

"Nothing is going to happen. I would really love to accomplish using the bathroom on my own though. I promise to text if that happy event occurs." They both smiled at each other. Nick squeezed Jeff's hand in reassurance. "You really are going to be late. I love you."

"I love you too. I'll be here as soon as I possibly can." Jeff leaned over, kissing Nick carefully, noticing that even a small movement caused him to wince in pain. He pressed the call button before standing up and putting on his tie. The nurse walked in, checked everything, and increased his morphine drip. Nick thanked her and she left. Jeff grabbed his school bag that his mom had dropped off the night before and walked to the door. "I'll see you later. No more seizures, please."

"I'll try. See you soon." Jeff smiled one more time before leaving the room. He walked down the hall, waving to Dr. Avers on his way to Blaine's car waiting outside. Blaine had agreed to pick him up from the hospital the night before when he visited with Kurt. He opened the door and Katy Perry blared, almost hurting his ears after the dead silence of the hospital. He sat down and turned the music down, putting his head against the window and closing his eyes.

"Oh, I was unaware that they changed the rules. Last time I checked, driver plays their music at their volume." He laughed, hoping Jeff would crack a smile, but he didn't. Blaine got quiet and stayed quiet for the next few minutes. Finally, he spoke again. "How is he?"

Jeff looked over to Blaine and then back out of the window. "He's hoping to be able to pee by himself by the end of the day. You can look at that however you'd like."

Blaine laughed. "At least he has some goals."

"I suppose."

The rest of the ride was silent. It wasn't that awkward since it seemed that Jeff had fallen asleep. It only took a few more minutes to arrive at the school, where Kurt was waiting in the parking lot for them. He nudged Jeff gently and he jumped awake, checking his phone immediately.

"Whoa. Calm down. We're just at school."

"Sorry." Jeff opened the door and waved to Kurt, but continued walking into the school.

His classes passed uneventfully. When he got to lunch, he still hadn't heard from Nick, so he decided to call him from the bathroom. It rang four times before a strange voice answered.

"Hello? Jeff, is that you?"

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"This is Jamie. I'm Nick's nurse until three. Anything I can help you with?"

"I was just hoping to talk to him. How's he doing?"

"He was in a lot of pain earlier. We increased his morphine a little and it looks like he'll be sleeping for a while. Other than that, nothing's changed. Aren't you in school?"

"Yeah, but it's lunch."

"Go eat. He really will call if he needs to. I'll make sure of it."

"Okay. Thanks."

Jeff hung up, slightly disappointed that he couldn't talk to Nick, but relieved that he was getting some rest. He made his way to the table he usually sat at with all of the Warblers. They were discussing this afternoon's plans, which made Jeff smile despite missing Nick.

The rest of his classes went by slowly. He was extremely lonely without Nick sitting next to him. During his last class, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He jumped a little. He waited for the teacher to turn away and then reached into his pocket to read the text he received.

_Just wanted to tell you I'm awake and fine. I love you. I can't wait to see you later._

Jeff smiled and replied quickly.

_I love you too. See you with a surprise later. ;)_

He put his phone away and smiled at the clock that was seemingly ticking faster.

Two hours later, Jeff met the Warblers in their hall and they all made their way to the bus that would take them to the hospital, where Nick was unaware of what was coming his way.

Once they arrived, they had to move quickly. Jeff had gotten permission from the hospital to do this, but they only had 30 minutes to finish putting it together. They all walked up the stairs to the floor where Nick was. Jeff stopped them when they were a few doors down from his room.

"I'm assuming you all practiced your parts yesterday, so it shouldn't be difficult to just join in with me once I start. Nick has no idea this is happening, he just knows he's got a surprise coming. Let's try not to shock him into cardiac arrest, okay?" The Warblers laughed, not realizing that Jeff was 100% serious. At this point, anything could happen and he didn't really like risking Nick's health for a romantic surprise, but he really needed to do it. They all got in the formation that was best and Jeff knocked on his door. He opened it when Nick answered and someone started the music.

_Elevator buttons and morning air_

_ Stranger's silence makes me wanna take the stairs_

_ If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares_

_ But right now, my time is theirs_

Nick smiled widely at Jeff, and then started to feel tears in his eyes when all of the Warblers filed into the room. He had heard Jeff sing plenty of times, but never like this. He let the tears fall when Jeff reached the chorus.

_So don't you worry your pretty little mind_

_ People throw rocks at things that shine_

_ And life makes love look hard_

_ The stakes are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours_

Nick could feel himself blushing as Jeff came to hold his hand.

_And it's not theirs to speculate if it's wrong and_

_ Your hands are tough but they are where mine belong in_

_ I'll fight their doubt and give you strength with this song for you_

They finished the song and Jeff wiped the tears falling from Nick's eyes.

"I love you, Nicky. I hope you don't mind that I brought Warbler practice to you today." Jeff was smiling and blushing because, wow, he had never done anything like that for anyone and he now remembered why. He had an okay voice, he just wasn't what most would call a performer. Once he saw Nick smiling though, he realized all embarrassment was worth it.

"Of course I don't mind." He stopped to cough. "Thank you guys. Especially, you." He looked back at Jeff. "I love you." Jeff leaned down and kissed him. The Warblers said "awwww" in unison. Jeff turned to glare at them, which made Kurt announce something to the whole room.

"Everyone out! We've done our job! Let's go back to school to finish practice!" Jeff sent him a stare that could only be described as thankful and Kurt nodded, smiling broadly. The Warblers all waved and left, but not before Jeff noticed David flirting with a nurse.

"David, go!" David jumped at his name being called, excused himself, and ran to catch up with the rest of Warblers. The nurse walked over to Nick.

"Looks like you've had an eventful day! Have you told Jeff your good news?" She started to check his vitals and Nick smiled, looking over to Jeff.

"I'm a big kid now! I can use the potty all by myself!" They both laughed at that and Jeff leaned over to hug him gently.

"Good for you! That's one step closer to getting the hell out of here!" Nick looked down and Jeff frowned. Something wasn't right. "What?"

The nurse noticed how quiet it got so she walked out of the room, saying she would finish in a little while.

"The doctor came to talk to me today about what will happen when I leave. Apparently, Dalton does not allow anyone back into the dorms until 48 hours after they are released from a hospital unless a parent stays with me, which means I have to go back to my house for at least two days." He sighed. "I talked with my mom on the phone and she said you weren't allowed to visit me there." He fought back tears as Jeff rubbed his arm gently, trying to calm him down.

"Two days won't be so bad, baby. That'll give me enough time to clean the room. I haven't cleaned it since everything happened, but I have made a mess." He tried to make Nick smile, but it didn't work. "Why are you so upset?"

"I can't go home. They'll just leave me there with the maid and I'll be lucky to even hear from them at all. I'd be better off at Dalton." He sniffled and tried to continue, but failed.

"If they aren't going to be there, I'll come stay with you. You only live twenty miles from the school. I'll just leave early and not go to Warbler practice."

"Wes would never allow that."

"He'll have to."

"Or?"

"Or I'll quit."

"No, you won't."

"I will. You are the single most important thing in my life. Everything else can be put on hold if it means taking care of you. I don't think you realize how much I truly love you."

Nick blushed. "How long have you felt this way?" He knew how long he had felt this way, but he didn't know how long Jeff had been keeping this to himself.

"Since that night you held me while I cried. Something just clicked. I realized a lot of stuff."

"Like what?"

"Like how I felt so amazing when I was with you. Like how I could talk to you about anything and you would listen. Like how adorable you were when you slept." Jeff looked at his lap. "Like how you looked at me with this look that just gave me hope that someday I could have you."

Nick smiled and touched Nick's cheek. "You know I realized my feelings for you about a week after you moved in. I really was confused, but you somehow made everything clearer."

Jeff leaned in to kiss Nick and was surprised when Nick pulled him close to him, kissing him passionately. He smirked and kissed him back as softly as he could, trying to avoid hurting him.

"I'm not going to break if you actually throw a little want in there." Nick winked at Jeff. "Just sayin'." Jeff kissed him on the forehead and moved to where his bag was.

"You're pretty fragile right now whether you realize it or not. I'm going to go change."

"You could change out here." Nick winked again and Jeff laughed.

"What kind of drugs are they giving you?"

"The good kind."

"Obviously."

Jeff walked into the bathroom, changed, brushed his teeth, and walked back into the room. Nick was sound asleep, snoring loudly. Jeff sat in the chair and started to read a book his mom had brought. The nurse came in, finished checking Nick's vitals, and then told Jeff that the doctor would be in soon for a final visit for the day.

He got so lost in reading that he didn't even notice when the doctor walked in hours later. Nick was still sleeping, but he was clearly in more pain. His face was wrinkled up and his hands were clenched into fists. The doctor immediately went to the morphine drip and increased it. He turned to Jeff.

"I really need to discuss something with you that's quite honestly going to suck for everyone here." Jeff gulped, putting his book down on the table. "Tomorrow, we have to start decreasing pain medication in preparation for Nick to go home. His morphine drip will be cut in half, which means he won't be doing much without being in pain. This is my least favorite part of the job." He patted Jeff's hand. "I know you'll be in school, but we're going to gradually start decreasing it around nine. By the time you get back, he'll almost be at halfway, and he won't be happy. We're going to discuss this with him in the morning of course. I just thought you should get fair warning." Jeff nodded. "I caught some of your performance earlier, by the way. You did a great job."

"Thanks. I was nervous."

"You looked like a natural. Don't give up on that. It could be a future for you."

Jeff blushed and thanked him before the doctor said goodbye. He picked up his book and tried to continue reading, but his thoughts were on the boy sleeping in the bed. Tomorrow would be one of the roughest days Nick's had yet and Jeff couldn't even be here for it. He put the book away and went to lay down on his cot, pulling the blanket over him while turning to face Nick. He closed his eyes and pretended this was all a nightmare and he would wake up to Nick in their dorm at Dalton.

Jeff woke to a gasp and he sat up quickly, immediately looking at Nick. His eyes were squeezed shut and his hands were in fists. Jeff looked at the clock: 10:07. That meant it had been an hour since the doctor would have started to cut back on the morphine. Nick heard the cot squeak and looked over at Jeff quietly. Jeff grabbed his hand.

"I guess I'm not going to school today."

"The doctor decided not to wake you up." He moaned a little in pain. "He figured you needed sleep."

Jeff sighed and peeled Nick's hands out of their fists. He held them both. "Anything I can do?"

"Just stay right here. It's only going to get worse." He coughed and then moaned in more pain. Jeff hated this, but he was sure Nick needed him more now than ever. He had to be strong.

Jeff tried singing to him, reading to him, massaging the places that weren't seriously injured. He even tried occupying his mind with card games, but nothing worked. By lunch time, the pain was so intense, Nick was crying and wincing at every small movement he made. Jeff just sat by his bed, hoping Nick might be able to tolerate this much easier soon. The doctor came in every hour to decrease the morphine, receiving glares from Nick and sending an apologetic look to Jeff. By three, Nick had finally passed out from exhaustion. He was sweating profusely and hadn't actually spoken in a couple of hours, too busy moaning in pain to speak. Jeff just sat there, trying to be strong. The doctor came in and looked at the morphine drip, decreasing it one more time.

"That is halfway. I have to say, he's done very well considering. I've had patients actually lash out at me or a nurse over this. This will be a rough night, but hopefully his body will be more used to all of the pain in the morning. I hope he can sleep this part off." The doctor sighed. "You've been so strong. I wouldn't blame you at all if you wanted to go in the bathroom right now and just relax or cry or something. He'll be fine for the next hour or so." Jeff nodded and the doctor left.

Jeff got up, went into the bathroom, and cried. He didn't know how long he was in there before he heard a yell in pain and he ran out to see if Nick was okay.

"I'm…fine…" Nick panted. Jeff held his hand and Nick winced. Jeff let go, but Nick pulled his hand close to him again. "No…I need…you."

"Okay. I'm right here." Jeff brushed the sweaty hair out of Nick's face. "I love you."

Nick squeezed his hand and didn't stop. "I love you."


	8. Chapter 8

Nick passed out again after about thirty minutes. He was in so much pain, his body just decided to shut down. Jeff relaxed slightly when this happened. He knew they would both be exhausted in the morning and Nick would still be in pain, which would make him grumpy, which would then make Jeff grumpy. He was not going to be very pleasant at school the next day.

He hadn't remembered falling asleep. Dr. Avers woke him up gently. He looked out the window and saw that the sun was just rising. He tried to smile at the doctor and thanked him for waking him up.

"I didn't know exactly when you would need to be awake for school. I hope this isn't too early. One of the nurses said Dalton starts at 9, but she wasn't sure." He stopped when Jeff yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Rough night?"

"He woke up a lot. He definitely won't be up for much today." Jeff looked over to Nick, who was still sleeping, but certainly not peacefully. "I don't want to leave him."

"I'm sure he'll be okay. I'll call if not. We'll be reducing his morphine a couple more today, but it won't be nearly as bad as it was yesterday." The doctor pressed the button to reduce the morphine drip by one. "He'll probably be up before you leave." The doctor left the room, leaving Jeff to get ready.

While Jeff was putting on his uniform, Nick woke up gasping. He turned while buttoning up his shirt.

"You're…really…built." He gasped again, trying to smile. "Wow." Jeff had played hockey for most of his life, not to mention track and trying football once a few years previous. Jeff sat down by Nick and smirked.

"You've seen me without a shirt on before, babe."

"But never…woke up to…it before." Jeff offered him some water and the breakfast menu. He turned them both down. Jeff wiped the sweat already forming on Nick's forehead.

"You should try to rest. I have to go to school. They're decreasing the morphine a little more." Nick sighed and winced.

"I don't want it to hurt this much."

"I know. I love you so much. I'll be back here as soon as school gets out."

"I wish you could stay."

Jeff looked down and felt a tear come to his eyes.

"Hey." Nick sat up as much as possible and pulled Jeff's face towards his. "I don't want you to feel guilty." Nick was finding it a little easier to talk. He was still in tons of pain, but this was important. "School is important. I'll be fine, okay? Don't worry." He leaned in to kiss Jeff as passionately as possible, but Jeff pulled away quickly. "What?"

"You're in pain. You should rest."

"You can't avoid touching me forever." Nick leaned back and frowned. He felt tears in his eyes, so he looked away. He heard Jeff grab his bag and stand up.

"I'll see you later." Jeff walked out the door and Nick let his tears fall. He'd like to say that it was because of the pain, but it was mostly because of the fact that Jeff had acted so unlike his usual self that it hurt. He could almost always depend on Jeff to make him feel better, but this morning was different. He felt guilty for being in this position in the first place and making Jeff feel like he had to stay with him.

Over the next few hours, nurses came into the room to check on Nick, but he was crying every time. They mostly just asked him if he needed anything, and he always replied with a swift "no."

Around noon, Nick was violently ill, most likely from the pain. The doctor had decreased his morphine to a quarter of what it had been, which was where it needed to be before leaving. He threw up more in the next few hours than he remembered ever throwing up in his life. When he finally thought it had stopped, he sat back and tried to breathe. Unfortunately, a nurse had just walked by with someone's food and Nick could smell it. He started to be sick again, just when Jeff walked in. The doctor looked up and Jeff looked scared. Nick closed his eyes and sat back when he was done.

"May I speak with you in the hall, Jeff?"

Jeff looked at the doctor who was speaking quietly to him. "Of course." Jeff put his bag down on the floor and followed the doctor out of the room, closing the door behind him. "Is everything okay?"

"Nick's been sick all day. It's starting to worry me. He really doesn't have anything left to throw up, yet he keeps doing it. He's also been crying nonstop, and I think that might be part of the problem. I don't know what happened, and I don't need to know, but his health is suffering and I don't know how to help. Can you please see if you can help?"

Jeff nodded. "I think I can help."

"Good. He needs you."

The doctor walked away and Jeff took a deep breath. He knew what he had to say and he really didn't want to do this, but he had no option. He opened the door and saw Nick wipe his eyes and try to sit up straight, sniffling and wincing in pain.

"Why are you here so early?"

"School's out."

"Warbler practice?"

"I didn't want to go today." Jeff sat down in the chair next to Nick's bed and held Nick's hand, which was colder than usual.

"Why?"

"I needed to come see you. I've been trying to think of some way to say this all day, but I got nowhere. I guess I'm just gonna have to wing it." Jeff sighed.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

Jeff's mouth dropped open. Nick had started to cry again. He leaned over, looking for a bucket. Jeff reached for one and rubbed Nick's back as he threw up. Jeff realized what the doctor meant about Nick not having anything left in him. He went to clean out the bucket when he was sure Nick was done being sick. When he came back in the room, Nick was crying again, but he was trying to hold it in.

"I am so so sorry about everything, Jeff. You don't know how sorry I am. I will say it as often as it takes for you to understand. I'm an idiot. I know. I don't know how you ever put up with me before all of this, let alone now. I appreciate everything you've done..and…and…I love you…and…" He let out a sob and then gagged, giving Jeff barely enough time to reach for the bucket again before he started to be sick for the umpteenth time that day. Jeff rubbed his back, trying to soothe him.

"Sh. You're alright, baby. I've got you. Calm down." Jeff pulled Nick close to him, hugging him to his chest and running his fingers through his hair. "I'm not breaking up with you. I couldn't possibly leave you. I love you so much." Nick sniffled loudly and Jeff leaned back some to wipe his tears away for him. "I just needed to tell you that I was sorry for how I acted. I'm just so worried about you. I want to stay with you, but I can't and it kills me. I mean, even Blaine can't stand me when I'm like this."

"What happened?"

"Oh, nothing important. I was just in a terrible mood and Blaine tried to cheer me up, which just pissed me off more so I…um…well, I shouted a bit. And I'm pretty sure I've never seen Kurt's bitch face appear so quickly. I apologized, but I still feel bad." He shook his head and reached for his phone in his pocket. "Speaking of that, I should probably call and apologize again. I need you to promise me something, though." Nick looked up at Jeff and nodded for him to continue. "You need to stop being sick. Dr. Avers is really concerned, and I am too. So, just relax and I'll be right back and we can cuddle and do something fun, okay?"

"Okay." Nick smiled for the first time since Jeff had left for school. He leaned back in bed and closed his eyes, trying to breathe normally and not think about anything except happy thoughts.

Jeff walked into the hall, sat down in a chair outside Nick's door, and dialed Blaine's number. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Blaine."

"Oh. Hi, Jeff."

"Listen, I am so sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to snap. I know you were just trying to help, I just have so many things on my mind and I know that's not really an excuse because you're like one of my best friends, but I am sorry."

"It's really okay, Jeff. Let's just forget about it, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks."

"How is he doing?"

"He's been sick all day. I think he's in a lot of pain still. He won't really say anything to complain unless the doctor asks."

"Kurt and I were going to come by in the morning before school. Is that okay?"

"Sure. We'll be here."

"See you then."

"Bye."

Jeff walked back into the room after hanging up to see Nick fast asleep. A nurse walked in right behind him and stopped.

"Oh thank God. He's been crying all day. He needed some rest. I'll come back later. Press the button or come to the station if you need something."

She hurried out quietly and I took a seat in my chair by his bed. I decided to do some homework since I was falling way behind and I had no idea how long Nick would be asleep. I got distracted though when Nick started to mumble in his sleep.

"Mmmm…I do…I want you…"

"Nick?" I laughed quietly, covering my mouth when I let out a particularly loud giggle. He readjusted in bed and I smirked. He was pretty cute when he slept, even if his face still had tons of scratches and bruises.

My mind wandered after he settled back down. I thought about what it would be like to have him back at Dalton. We hadn't really shared a lot of time together as a couple before the accident. I wondered what we would do now that we had a couple of months to be together before summer break. Then it hit me. Summer break. There's no way his parents would let him come see me, or me come see him. I felt tears come to my eyes as I thought about how much I would miss him and how long summer break is. Just then, I felt a hand on mine and I looked up to see Nick's worried face looking at me.

"What's wrong honey?"

I blushed at the pet name, but I couldn't stop one tear from falling. "I was just thinking about how much I'm going to miss you over summer break."

"What made you think of that? We've still got three months. And my parents will be so busy, they wouldn't even notice if we visited each other."

He had a point, but I was unable to calm down. He squeezed my hand and tugged on it gently. I got up and joined him in the bed, where he pulled me close to him just as I had done for him earlier.

"Wanna know a secret?"

I nodded.

"I'll be 18 in two months. I have a car that's in my name, completely paid off. I'll have trust fund money that my parents can't touch as soon as the clock strikes midnight on my birthday. Trust me, it's enough to live off of for a while. If my parents don't let me see you this summer, I'll leave."

He said it so simply, as though he wouldn't dream of anything else. I didn't know what to say, so I just sat in silence.

"I mean, unless you don't want me to. I just figured that would solve the missing you problem."

I stared at him for another minute and then kissed him as passionately as I ever had. I could feel him smiling for the first minute, but as soon as I felt him wince, I leaned back, breaking our lips apart quickly. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. It's about time you kissed me like you meant it." He smiled and I couldn't help but smile too. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Avers walked in with a somewhat pleased look on his face.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have some really great news. I've been looking at your vitals and it appears that everything is pretty much back to normal. Your injuries are nothing that some pain medication and rest can't handle and I'm pretty certain that your cuts and bruises will fade within the week. I'd really like to send you home in the morning, if that's okay with you."

Nick and Jeff smiled at each other.

"Of course that's okay! Are you serious?"

"I wouldn't joke about this." Dr. Avers smiled and shook hands with both Nick and Jeff. "It's been a pleasure meeting you both, but don't ever come back."

"Wait. Won't you be back in the morning?"

"Unfortunately, no. I start my vacation tomorrow. I wanted to wait until I was sure you would be able to go home to leave. Nurse Janice will be assisting you in the morning. I've already filled out the paperwork you'll need. We're still trying to get in touch with your parents though." He sighed. "They have to be here to sign the release forms tomorrow. I've left them eleven messages. Hopefully, they'll get back to me before seven." He smiled again. "I am so glad to see you doing better." He leaned in to whisper in Nick's ear. "This kid loves you so much. Don't let him go."

"I don't plan on it."

Jeff just looked at them questioningly, but didn't ask any questions. They said goodbye to Dr. Avers and turned to look at each other, smiling brightly.

"I get to leave!"

"I know!"

"I'll be back at Dalton soon!"

"But you have to go home first." Jeff frowned and looked down at his lap. He truly hated the idea of Nick having to go home, but rules were rules and there was no way around them.

"I promise I'll text you all day and I'll call you both nights." Nick squeezed Jeff's hand and they smiled.

"For now, how about we watch a movie and I put off my homework for another couple of hours?"

"Sounds perfect."


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Jeff woke to hear a few voices in the room. Two nurses were currently unhooking Nick from his IV and heart monitor. Nick smiled over at him and he couldn't help but smile back. It had been so long since he had seen a genuine smile from Nick. He slowly got off of the cot and folded it up so that the nurses could take it back to storage. He went over to Nick to give him a quick kiss before going into the bathroom to get ready for school.

"When will Mary be here?" Mary was Nick's mom's personal assistant and was going to bring him home to get settled since Jeff couldn't.

"I think in about an hour. You know, she probably wouldn't mind dropping you off at school."

"I'd be late though, babe." Nick gave him a look and he smirked. "So I guess I'm riding with you!"

They both laughed and Jeff went to get ready. Twenty minutes later, Nick was sitting up in his bed, wincing slightly when he moved too quickly. Jeff blushed when he noticed he was mostly naked except for his boxers.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were changing. I can wait in the hall."

Nick laughed at Jeff's blush. "Actually, I kind of need help. You don't mind do you? The nurses went to get a wheelchair and all of my papers."

Jeff just nodded and walked over to where Nick's pants were on the bed. He picked them up and then helped Nick stand up slowly. Nick groaned and Jeff immediately stopped what he was doing.

"Does it hurt?"

Nick bit his lip and held back tears. "Of course it hurts, Jeff. But I can't just leave in boxers, so let's just try to do it quickly."

Jeff helped him pull his pants on and started on the button down shirt that had a ridiculous amount of buttons. Jeff buttoned it slowly. Nick noticed his hands shaking and smirked. He grabbed Jeff's hands and Jeff looked him in the eyes, blushing even more than before.

"I love you. I never properly thanked you for staying with me through all of this. I know it couldn't have been easy to spend the first week of our relationship with me in a hospital. I owe you so much." He leant down and kissed Jeff as passionately as possible until he heard a throat clear in the doorway. Jeff jumped away from him and looked down at his feet. Nick noticed one of the nurses at the door and he smirked. She smirked back at him and winked. Nick finished buttoning his shirt after taking a seat on the bed. His legs had started hurting way too much and Jeff was no longer there to lean on. The nurse handed Jeff the papers and asked him to grab all of the stuff that belonged to them and meet them downstairs in the lobby.

Jeff collected the bags, trying not to focus on the groans of pain Nick was making as they helped him into the wheelchair. When he had everything, he turned to see Nick smiling in the wheelchair and he couldn't help but walk over and kiss him.

"I'll see you downstairs, babe." Jeff left and the nurses checked the room for anything that may have been left behind one final time before rolling Nick into the hall. He asked them to stop for a moment at the nurse's station. "Could I borrow a pen and a piece of paper please?"

The nurse behind the desk handed him what he asked for and he started to write a brief note to Dr. Avers. When he finished, he gave it to the nurse. "Could you make sure he gets this when he gets back from his vacation?"

"Of course, honey." She smiled at him and they continued to the elevator at the end of the hall. Nick had always disliked elevators. There was no need for them most of the time, but now he couldn't be more grateful. He couldn't imagine trying to take the stairs in his condition.

Once they reached the ground floor, the doors opened to reveal an impatient looking Jeff pacing across the floor. At the _ding_, he turned to look and smiled at Nick. Nick smiled back, but then noticed Mary standing off to the side, texting away on her phone. Mary had been great to him until he came out. In fact, his first memory was playing on his swingset when he was four with Mary laughing and pushing him. Now, he was lucky to get a greeting from her when he saw her. Jeff noticed his sudden discomfort and bent down to his level.

"I'm sure she's not going to say anything to upset you. I think she really just wants to get it over with." Nick nodded. That's what he hated. He hated knowing that one small fact about a person could change their whole relationship. Jeff kissed his cheek and the nurse wheeled him outside where the car was waiting. After putting the brakes on, the nurse and Jeff helped Nick into the car, while Mary waited in the drivers' seat. Once he was situated, the nurse turned to Jeff.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you boys, but I'd really like to never see you again in this hospital. Nick, you aren't even close to where you were, so don't exert yourself too much. Jeff, keep an eye on him the best that you possibly can." She leaned into Jeff a little more and started to whisper. "I don't think he has anyone else watching him. He needs you now." Jeff nodded in understanding. The nurse waved and brought the wheelchair back inside. Jeff climbed into the backseat with Nick and let Nick rest against his side with his head on his shoulder. Mary didn't speak the whole ride to Dalton, which was either very nice or very bad. Once they arrived, Jeff felt tears spring to his eyes. Nick kissed him.

"It's only two days. We can do this. I'll be back and we can really enjoy ourselves, okay?" Jeff nodded, but he let the tears fall as Nick embraced him as strongly as he could with a seatbelt still on. "I love you so much. Text me when you can and call me tonight."

"I love you too, Nick. Stay out of trouble."

"You know I can't promise anything." Nick winked and Jeff got out of the car, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He grabbed his bookbag out of the car and looked at Nick. Nick blew him a kiss and winked before Jeff shut the door and started walking towards the main building, where he knew Kurt and Blaine would be waiting for him.

Nick sat in silence while Mary drove them the rest of the way to his house. He looked out the window, wincing when they went over particularly large bumps. When they finally pulled into the driveway, he undid his seatbelt and opened the door, ready to step out of the car by himself, but was stopped by Mary's hand on his chest.

"I'm supposed to be helping you."

Nick couldn't have been more surprised. "I don't need help, thanks." He pulled himself out of the car and closed the door, leaning against it for a moment and preparing for the long walk to the door.

"I'll just grab your bags then, snookums." Nick's head snapped towards hers at the name. She had called him that as a joke since the day she first started looking after him. She hadn't called him that in four years. She blushed when she realized what she had said.

"Sorry. Old habits die hard I guess." She popped the trunk and got all of his things out. He slowly made his way to the door, which was already unlocked. _Odd, _he thought to himself. Once inside, he felt the urge to just walk out again. If his legs weren't so damn tired, he would have. His home was extravagant, and it always smelled like a hotel room: too clean and elderly. It never smelled like food cooking, or his parents, or anything that someone would actually want to come home to. He missed the way his room at Dalton smelled. At least there it smelled like a combination of Jeff, his Axe soap, and books. It smelled like a home should smell. He sat down on the couch gently, Mary placing his things by the stairs to take to his room later. She walked into the kitchen to grab him a drink and a snack, while he tried to get comfortable on a couch that no one ever sat in for longer than a few minutes at a time. His parents bought furniture to impress visitors, not for comfort.

When Mary came back into the room, he was still trying to find the perfect position. She laughed and he looked up and looked at her confusedly. "Something funny?"

"Just you. I swear you've made that same face since you were two. Every time you get frustrated. Never fails." She looked down at her feet. Eventually she looked up at him again, sitting down on the coffee table (which he used to get in so much trouble for when he was younger). "I hope chips and orange soda is okay. I didn't get to grocery shopping and it's all that's here."

"This works. Thanks." He felt his back pop and he winced.

"Was that normal?" She suddenly looked anxious.

"Yeah. I was just sitting awkwardly in the car I think." Nick thought that this would have been really awkward, but it proved to be very simple. Mary had been his best friend growing up, despite the fact that she was employed by his parents and much older. She nodded and took a deep breath.

"I know this is much too late, but I wanted to apologize for how I've treated you." Nick looked at her in awe. "I only treated you differently because of what your parents might have done if I didn't. I need this job. I hate that it comes down to that, but it's the truth. I have no problem with your sexuality. I honestly think I've known since you were in elementary school." She stopped and stood up. She started to walk out of the room, but he stopped her with a cough.

"Thanks for telling me. I know my parents are ridiculous. I really do understand why you did it. Could we just go back to how things were? My parents aren't here. And to be honest, I miss one of the closest friends I have ever had." He smiled and Mary smiled back. Mary walked to the stairs to unpack his things and he finally found the most comfortable position on the couch.

Jeff walked into the school and immediately knew the day would drag. Kurt walked up to him within seconds and hugged him.

"He's good?"

Jeff nodded and then Blaine appeared, giving him a hug too. Jeff couldn't help but smile at his closest friends. He knew they would be able to at least help him feel a little better.

As the day wore on, Jeff felt his mood lighten. He relaxed a little, and by lunch time, he was joking around with the Warblers at their usual table. When he felt his phone vibrate, he immediately checked it.

_I hope you're day is going well =) I love you so much. Mary and I are playing Jenga and I wish you could be here to see her epic-ness. Xoxoxo_

Jeff smirked, but then got confused. He didn't expect Mary to change so quickly, then again, he hardly knew her and he had only heard a few stories from Nick. He typed a reply while the other guys were distracted by something Wes and David were doing.

_I love you too, babe. Can't wait to hear about her epic-ness =) I hope you're doing okay. Talk to you later. Xoxoxo_

He pocketed his phone and rejoined the conversation quickly. He was smiling and enjoying himself for the first time in a week and it felt great.

By the time he got back to his room after Warbler practice, he was exhausted. He plugged in his phone, stripped his clothes off, and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. He finished up right when he heard his phone start to ring. He threw a towel around his waist and ran to his phone, picking it up breathlessly.

"Hey."

"Well, hello there stranger. Been a while."

"I miss you tons."

"I miss you lots and lots."

Jeff smiled and heard a woman's voice echo through the phone. "Mary still there?"

"Yeah. She's kept me sane."

"So tell me about Jenga."

Nick laughed and started to talk about it. "Mary knows how to do all of these crazy technique things because apparently she doesn't actually work anymore, though she lets my mom think she does. And so she beat me eight times before I finally gave up and she taught me a few that I am definitely going to use when I get back." He took a deep breath because he had said that all in one breath.

Jeff snorted and laughed for a good two minutes before he took a deep breath and replied. "Sounds like a productive day."

"It was. Mary and I figured out how to go back to everything. It's been nice. I told her all about you. She's jealous and wishes you weren't gay. I told her to back off."

Jeff laughed again. "God, I love you."

Nick blushed, thanking God that Jeff couldn't see him. "I love you too. I'll be there soon."

"Never soon enough though." He paused for a moment, remembering that he still wasn't dressed. "I should clean the room for you. It's quite…" He looked around at the garbage and clothes lying everywhere. "Messy."

"I like messy. It will be a nice change from my ridiculously clean house that I am trying my damnedest to leave a mess in."

"I'll tidy it up though." He paused and pulled the towel off. "I have to get dressed. Hold on."

"You're naked? I can be there in thirty minutes."

Jeff laughed while pulling his boxers on. "I just got out of the shower when you called and I was starting to get cold."

"I could come warm you up." Jeff blushed and pulled his pants on.

"As lovely as that sounds, I can wait one more day. It'll make the reunion that much more fun." Jeff blushed even more at the fact that he was actually flirting with someone. He heard Nick take in a breath and he sat down in bed. "It's getting late you know."

"So?"

"So I have to be up by seven."

"Oh yeah. You want to go to bed?"

"I don't think I can sleep honestly."

"Why not?"

"I'm just worried about you."

"No need. I am in good hands and I've taken my pain medication. I feel like a small kitten playing with a ball of yarn right now."

Jeff giggled, actually giggled, and turned off the light, pulling his covers around him and stuffing his head into his pillow. "I'm just going to rest my eyes. Keep talking."

"How about I sing?"

Jeff yawned. "I'd love that, babe."

Nick cleared his throat and started to sing a song that always put Jeff to sleep.

**Just close your eyes, the sun is going down.**

**You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now.**

**Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound.**

He finished the song a few minutes later. "Jeff?" He asked quietly. He heard a snore and smiled. He decided not to hang up though. He just plugged in his phone and stayed on the line until he fell asleep too, listening to the rhythmic sounds of Jeff's breathing.


End file.
